Chapter 119: The Walking Silver Notes Were Taken Away

The old supervisor’s advice to Chen Guanlou was essentially to wait by the stump for rabbits.

It was a clumsy method, but a good one. I won’t go to the mountain—the mountain will come to me.

Clearly, he had ruined Qi Laoda’s business last time, and Qi Laoda must have been furious. Naturally, he wouldn’t accept being thwarted by some nameless hero. He sent his men to search Beijing for the identity of the nameless hero to seek revenge.

This was perfect! It suited his intentions.

He had been struggling to find Qi Laoda, and now the man himself was walking into his lap. If he didn’t make good use of this opportunity, he’d be squandering Heaven’s gift.

When he left, he left two silver notes behind, totaling fifty taels. That was the rule—that was how business was done. Give and take, everyone follows the rules, and there’s a chance for future cooperation.

The old supervisor didn’t refuse; he accepted the silver notes.

Going downstairs, as expected, Chen Guanlou spotted Lu Datou in the crowd.

Lu Datou’s eyes were bloodshot from losing, his clothes off, sweat pouring down his body.

Chen Guanlou slipped up silently, endured the stench, and whispered in Lu Datou’s ear: “Bet big!”

Lu Datou was entirely focused on the game and didn’t turn around. Hearing someone say “bet big,” he inexplicably trusted the voice and wagered his last coins on big.

“Open! Open! Open!”

A crowd of old gamblers and onlookers with no money to bet shouted so loudly the roof seemed ready to fly off.

The banker revealed big.

Lu Datou won! He turned his fortune around! He danced and jumped higher than anyone else.

He turned to find the man who told him to bet big, looking around wildly, his eyes confused—where was he? Where had the man who gave him the tip gone? How could he vanish so quickly?

A good man! Does good deeds without seeking fame—a true benefactor. He’d originally planned to split some silver with him, or at least buy him a drink. Now he’d saved the cost of a drink. Fine—he’d just treat Chen Guanlou to a drink tomorrow.

After all his circling, Chen Guanlou still couldn’t escape Lu Datou’s invitation to drink. Truly, fate was destined.

Life in the Tianlaomiao followed a routine—boring, dull, monotonous—unless you had money.

Recently, the jailers of the Jia- and Yi-sized cells in Tianlaomiao had become very rich. Each one grinned like it was the New Year.

Every time they saw Chen Guanlou, the jailers would stop, bow respectfully, and greet him sincerely. Everyone was grateful for Chen Guanlou’s clever scheme, which had filled their pockets.

Chen Guanlou waved his hand, signaling the jailers to get back to work and stop thinking only of money. As long as they did their jobs well, the money would naturally find its way into their pockets.

The jailers laughed heartily and said, “Chen Tou is right—we’ll do our duty well and not disappoint Chen Tou’s expectations.”

Chen Guanlou kicked out, and the jailers fell silent. Those working, worked; those slacking, kept slacking.

It was supposed to be an ordinary afternoon when Embroidered Uniform Guard soldiers stormed into Tianlaomiao like wolves. Anyone who stood in their way got clubbed.

The beaten jailers could only accept their bad luck—endured the beating without a cry, hiding in corners trembling. Such was the terrifying reputation of the Embroidered Uniform Guard—it could silence children’s night cries and make even Tianlaomiao’s jailers freeze in fear.

Fan Yucheng chased after the Embroidered Uniform Guards, drenched in sweat but helpless. He watched helplessly as they flaunted their power on his turf, yet dared not retaliate—not even a single harsh word.

Seeing him so cowardly, so weak, the jailers secretly cursed him as a coward and a useless lump. To his face, however, they remained respectfully obedient, hiding all true emotion for fear he’d hold a grudge.

“What’s going on?” Chen Guanlou asked Xiao Jin, the seasoned jailer beside him.

Xiao Jin told him: “It seems the Embroidered Uniform Guard is here to interrogate prisoners.”

Even if they were here to interrogate, why such a show of force? To strut around another department’s grounds—what kind of skill is that?

Chen Guanlou couldn’t stand the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s arrogance, and neither could any of the jailers.

He now understood why the Embroidered Uniform Guard had such a vile reputation. Everyone who mentioned them wanted to beat them to death. Especially the censors and imperial historians, who wished the old emperor would abolish them entirely.

Of course, that was a dream—only possible in dreams.

Since its founding, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had been the Son of Heaven’s hounds, meaning it could never be abolished.

That was their confidence and their foundation. As the Son of Heaven’s hounds, who would dare touch them without the emperor’s order? Who could investigate them? What could censors and historians do even if they submitted dozens of memorials?

As long as the old emperor didn’t speak, even if the censors’ memorials filled an entire room, the Embroidered Uniform Guard remained the Embroidered Uniform Guard—not a single hair would fall. With such backing, arrogance was inevitable.

The prisoners the Embroidered Uniform Guard wanted to interrogate were just a few petty officials from the Shaofu. Why such a massive operation? Why come to another department to show off?

The Shaofu officials, upon seeing the Embroidered Uniform Guard soldiers, turned pale as ghosts, legs shaking like mice seeing a cat. They clung desperately to the prison bars.

“Let me go! Let me go! I have money—I’ll pay! I’ll pay willingly! I’ll confess everything! I don’t want to go to the Zhao Prison! I don’t want to go to the Zhao Prison!”

The officials screamed pitifully. The Zhao Prison was a dragon’s den, a tiger’s lair—once inside, no one emerged unscathed. The Shaofu officials wept as if their parents had died, utterly pitiful.

The Tianlaomiao jailers watched, their faces filled with pity.

These were all rich masters! All generous masters! Couldn’t you treat them gently? They were easy to deal with and paid quickly. Oh, noble officials—we still wanted to serve them, but the Embroidered Uniform Guard wouldn’t give us the chance.

Chen Guanlou didn’t hold back—he kicked each jailer in turn. “What are you doing? What are you doing? First, know your place. The Embroidered Uniform Guard is here to interrogate prisoners—that’s their duty. Why are you all looking so sympathetic? Are you questioning them?”

The jailers: …

They had nothing to say.

The jailers’ faces fell. The golden bowls had been taken away—meaning their income had reverted to nothing. How were they supposed to live now? The Embroidered Uniform Guard simply couldn’t stand Tianlaomiao having good days. Sigh—Tianlaomiao had no status.

Fan Yucheng’s mood was the worst—he seethed with rage.

Money! Money! Money! These were walking silver notes! How could they just be taken away like this? Not even a heads-up! If they’d warned me a day earlier, I could’ve squeezed out even more!

The Embroidered Uniform Guard was hateful! He hadn’t made enough money yet, and they took the Shaofu officials away—clearly bullying Tianlaomiao for having no power.

He rushed to Fan Yucheng and asked, face twisted in despair: “What do we do now?”

Fan Yucheng gave him a scowl. “What do we do? Suck it up!”

When the Embroidered Uniform Guard came to take prisoners, he could only cooperate—he had no choice. Now he was worrying: without these prisoners, who else could he squeeze for money? He’d just promised his concubine he’d buy her a set of jewelry.